Description

The Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG) at The University of Texas at Austin seeks to hire two full-time, non-tenure track Professors of Practice (open rank) for multi-faceted roles including active contributions to the research and educational missions of the school and museum and responsibility to serve as Curator-in-Charge and oversee staff and operations for either the Jackson School Museum of Earth History Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (VPL) or Nonvertebrate Paleontology (NPL) Laboratory. These are 12-month, salaried appointments with a three-year rolling contract.

The primary expectation for these positions is facilitating the full integration of the collections into the research and teaching programs of the Jackson School through collection-based research, active collaboration with JSG stakeholders and campus partners, curation and conservation of these substantial collections for academic research and global access, and teaching one course per year in our undergraduate program. Stakeholders include JSG faculty who are research curators, active researchers in other UT colleges, and an independent, public-facing museum, the Texas Science & Natural History Museum. While the Laboratories conduct a modest level of public outreach and engagement, that is not a primary mission of the Laboratories.

Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (VPL)

The Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (VPL; est. 1949) is the principal repository for vertebrate fossils collected from state and federal lands in Texas and contiguous areas, amongst the largest (2M specimens) and most-highly cited fossil vertebrate collections in North America (see https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/vpl), as well as an extensive collection of extant vertebrate skeletons. The VPL maintains a fossil preparation laboratory and a library and archive of research materials from contributing researchers. General strengths of the collections are in its holdings from Early Permian terrestrial sediments, Late Triassic terrestrial sediments, Late Cretaceous marine and terrestrial sediments, Tertiary terrestrial sediments, and rich Quaternary cave deposits.

Non-Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (NPL)

The Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (NPL; est. 1999) is a vast repository (4M specimens) drawn from a wide array of geological research. It is known for its rare and important specimens with a type and figured collection of over 22,000 specimens, and for its innovative approaches to the management of an unconventional collection. The focus of the NPL is invertebrate and paleobotanical fossils, but these are complemented by a wealth of recent marine, freshwater and terrestrial specimens, and an extensive rock, mineral and impact-related collection (see https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/npl).

The Jackson School Museum of Earth History is a research organization without public exhibits; however, it maintains close ties to UT’s Texas Science and Natural History Museum, which exhibits outstanding specimens from the VPL and NPL collections.

Key Responsibilities

Paleontological Research

• Conduct independent paleontological research and publish in appropriate peer-review journals. Support and collaborate with other faculty researchers at the Jackson School and UT Austin, and support research on VPL and NPL collections by UT graduate and undergraduate students.

• Seek researchers whose scholarship would utilize the museum's vast fossil collections.

• Seek external funds for paleontological research and collection development. Work with the development officers of the Jackson School to pursue foundation and donor support for Lab activities.

Curation and Laboratory Management

• Serve as member of the museum steering committee.

• Serve as curator-in-charge of collections, in consultation with faculty research curators.

• Facilitate ongoing collaborations among UT researchers and catalyze new ones.

• Oversee and work constructively with laboratory staff, including collections managers and fossil preparator (VPL).

• Conduct collections acquisition to strengthen and enhance collections for research, education, and exhibit purposes.

• Consult on fossil preparation and relevant loan and destructive sampling requests.

• Plan and manage the laboratory budget, including endowment income, gifts, external funding, and support from the Jackson School.

• Work with the development team on philanthropic fundraising efforts.

Teaching and Mentoring

• Teach one undergraduate course per year in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

• Contribute to the academic enterprise by serving on graduate thesis committees or mentoring students.

• Incorporate innovative teaching or outreach methodologies utilizing museum collections.

• Participate in occasional public engagement events; opportunities exist for collaboration with the Texas Science and Natural History Museum.

Distribution of Effort

Approximate time allocation:

• 20% personal research program

• 20% facilitation of research

• 50% curator-in-charge and lab management (including fundraising)

• 10% teaching

Working at the Jackson School of Geosciences

Faculty will be appointed in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences, which includes two organized research units: the Institute for Geophysics and the Bureau of Economic Geology.

The School hosts ~125 faculty and staff, ~400 undergraduates, and ~200 graduate students. It offers outstanding research facilities and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Laboratories are located at the UT Austin J.J. Pickle Research Campus, 9 miles north of the main campus. Free shuttles and rail connections are available. UT Austin is a residential campus, and faculty are expected to work primarily onsite. Relocation to Austin is required.

Professional track faculty are non-tenure track but follow a standard promotion process and may contribute to teaching, research, service, and mentoring.

Salary and Benefits

The positions provide a competitive 12-month salary, depending on experience.

UT Austin offers:

• Competitive health benefits (employee-only premiums 100% covered)

• Vision, Dental, Life, Disability insurance options

• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Retirement plans with generous matching

• Free UT Shuttle and CapMetro bus rides

More information: https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Geoscience or a related field.
Ideal candidates will:

• Have established or show strong potential for developing an independent paleontological research program

• Have experience in paleontological curation or collections management

• Have formal or informal teaching/mentoring experience at the undergraduate level

Highly desired:

• Proven grantsmanship

• Formal university teaching experience

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Application Instructions

We are eager to fill these positions as soon as possible. Review of applications will begin October 27, 2025 and continue until filled.

Applicants should submit:

• CV

• Names and contact information for three references

• Letter of interest (max. 5 pages) addressing:

  • which position you are applying for

  • your qualifications

  • how you would contribute to and develop research, curation, and teaching impacts of the Laboratory collections

Submit all materials through Interfolio’s “Apply Now” option.

Questions: julia.clarke@jsg.utexas.edu

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com